Process of purifying hydrogen.



r G. H. RABENALT. PBOGBSS OP PURIFYING HYDROGEN.

APPLICATION FILED APB 4, 1910.

Patented Aug. 6, 1912.'

WOR/VEZ GUSTAV H. RABENALT, OE DOVER, NEW JERSEY.

PROCESS OF PURIFYING HYDROGEN.

Specication of Letters Patent.

. Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

Application filed April 4, 1 910. Serial No. 553,355.

To all whom 'it .may concern;

Be it known that I, GUs'TAv H. RABENALT,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Dover, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improve-l ments in Processes of Purifying Hydrogen,

of which the following is aspecificationaccompanied by ay drawing.

This invention relates to a process for the purification of hydrogen and has for its objects to eliminate the impurities from the hydrogen in a'continuousway which is economical fand commercially successful.

Hydrogen which has been generated from iron or the iron group by the action of a suitable reagent, as for instance, sulfuric acid, contains hydrogen sulid, which is objectionable in Welding and other processes, owing to the presence of the sulfur.

I have discovered a process whereby hydrogen as generated may be continuouslypassed into a Washing solution which at the same time forms an electrolyte, so that the solution is continuously regenerated electrolytically.

The figure represents diagrammatically,

, ap aratus for carrying out my process.

eferring to the drawing, A represents a vessel preferably of glass, having a tight cover B through which projects the inlet tube C extending nearly to the bottom of the vessel and having an upwardly turned end C. 'The'outlet tube D for the purified hy- -drogen also extends through the cover and terminates below the cover as shown.

E and F represent electrodes preferably of retort carbon, although other suitable substances may be used. The electrodes are suitably connected with the sources of supplyA G and include in the circuit a rheostat G.

In the vessel A I place a solution of iodin in a suitable solvent, such as an aqueous solution of potassium iodifl, or any other suit.`

able metallic iodid. This solution may consist of ten parts of iodin, twentyparts of potassium iodid and about one hundred parts of Water. Other suitable proportions -mav be found, but I have found that an approximately 10C/fl solution of iodin is suitable for my purposes. This percentage may be varied as low as 1% and as high as'50% of iodin. The hydrogen is passed into the As the sulfur becomes eliminated, the iodin is being used up, and the solution becomes exhausted. The hydriodic acid if suiciently concentrated is volatile, and would pass off With the hydrogen, which is objectionable. To restore the strength of the Wash solution and prevent the volatili- Zation of the hydriodic acid, I resort to electrolysis of the Wash solution, whereby the hydriodic acid is decomposed into its elements hydrogen and iodin, the hydrogen passing of through the outlet tube D, and the iodin dissolving in the Wash solution, ready to react with a new supply of hydrogen suld. If the current is too strong. the potassium iodid is decomposed, but the potassium and iodin immediately again unite. To avoid decomposition of the potassium iodid the current strength is regulated, so that the solution at all times shows a substantially brownish color. The strength of current should be suiicient to set free iodin at about the same rate that iodin is used in decomposing hydrogen sulfid. This Will depend upon the proportion of hydrogen sulid present in the. hydrogen to be purified and upon the rate at Which the .hydrogen is passing through the solution but, for example, it may be said that if the iron used in the generation of the hydrogen contains 0.1% of sulfur and the hydrogen ispassing through the solution at about the rate of six' cubic feet per hour, th'e currents strength should be about three-fourths of an ampere.

I .claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent the following:

The process substantially as herein d scribed of purifying hydrogen, which conspeciicat-ion in the' presence of two subscribsists in passing hydrogen into a solution of ing Witnesses March 9, 1910.

` iodin in a suitable solvent and at the same GUSTAV H. RABENALT.

time passing an electric current through said 5 solution.

In .testimony whereof I lieve signed this Witnesses:

E. VAN ZANDT, M. M. B IEMANN.

Copies of this patent may bepbtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

